Page 80 of Jake's Angel

After a few minutes of awkward silence, he says, “Anyway, the night of the Gala, Eleanor couldn’t go. She had some charity thing of her own happening at her country club, and she was hosting. She was livid when Russ told her he and Maggie wouldn’t be attending her charity function but the Gala instead. The Gala was in Atlanta.”

“So, he used the Gala as a cover and brought her here to you?” I ask, impressed by Gramps’s sneakiness.

“No. He took her to the Gala. They had their photo taken and plastered all over the papers. We still had those then.” He laughs around another bite. Gabe wipes his mouth and smiles at my confusion.

“Russell is smarter than his wife would like to think. He took Maggie to the Gala, had the pictures to prove it, then they went back to their hotel where they were going to stay the night. Mack met Russ at the hotel and escorted Russ to the airport, where his private jet waited to fly him to another business meeting in California. Maggie met me in the lobby wearing black jeans and a Guns N′ Roses hoodie. We hopped on my bike, and I brought her home to stay.”

“Wait!” I shout, shoving back from the table. “What did he tell Eleanor when Maggie didn’t come back to Baron’s Edge with him?”

“He told her he got called away to an emergency meeting and entrusted Maggie to one of the men in his security detail who was supposed to put her on a plane and bring her home. Thestory I heard was they assumed she ran off with the security guard.”

“No. My grandmother told me I’m the bastard daughter of a debutant and a stranger.” Gabe growls. “If she thought Maggie ran off with the guard, he wouldn’t have been a stranger.”

“She told you what now?”

I wave him off. “It’s nothing I haven’t heard my whole life.” I brush it off, which, apparently judging by the scowl on Gabe’s face, he can’t do the same. “I bet Eleanor told everyone it was a stranger to save her reputation. If someone under her employ seduced her daughter and swept her away, the town would’ve considered it Gramps and Eleanor’s fault for not having better control over their staff. But a stranger seducing an unsuspecting teenager isn’t unheard of, and it would then be the stranger’s fault and Maggie’s ignorance.”

“Hold on. Your grandmother said shit like that to you? On a regular basis?” Gabe’s still stuck on the whole bastard daughter thing.

“The people of Baron’s Edge believe my mother was a whore who ran off with a stranger, got herself knocked up, and was too ashamed to come home. The only reason they believe my grandparents took me in and adopted me is because Maggie died in a car accident and left me orphaned.”

“Jesus.” Gabe gets up, walks a few feet to me, and sits in the chair beside me. His hands cup my face. I allow his touch since it seems to be the only thing grounding him. “Avery, I neverwantedto send you away. If I could’ve, I would’ve raised you here with my family, this club. Hell, Liz and Caleb would’ve had you over all the time with all the other kids. Though, I have to admit, after what I’ve seen you and Sadie pull off together so far, I’m a little relieved that you two didn’t grow up together.” His joke breaks the tension a little. “I don’t know what else that heinous bitch told you about your mother, but I can assureyou, she wasn’t anything you’ve just described. Maggie was the sunshine to every cloudy moment in my life. She was the reason my heart kept beating in my chest, and there’s not a goddamn day I don’t miss her. Butyouare the reason my heart continues beating. I couldn’t leave you alone on this earth. I know I wasn’t present in your life, but I’ve always been here, watching, missing, and loving you.”

“But that’s the thing, Gabe.” I pull out of his grasp, tears spilling down my cheeks. “You’ve always beenhere—where watching, missing, and loving me only affectedyou.What I needed was for you to be present with me, whereIcould know and feel those things.”

“Avery.” He pleads.

“I’m ready to go back to Liz and Caleb’s now, please. Thank you for the meal. But I’d like to go back to my room and go get some rest. It’s been a long couple of days and I’m suddenly feeling exhausted.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

JAKE

It’s beentwo days since Avery had dinner with Gabe at his home, and she’s been a shell of a person over that time. She’s stuck close to Liz’s house. The girls tried to get her out yesterday, bribing her with Magpie’s waffles, but even her favorite food wouldn’t get her to budge.

Stubborn woman.

I found her drawing something in a book on the porch swing yesterday, sat down next to her and watched quietly as she sketched. She was drawing a picture of a woman’s eyes. They were full of pain and sadness. If you didn’t look for it, you might not have noticed it, but I knew they were her own eyes. I told her, “A woman’s eyes shouldn’t hold so much pain.” She responded with her typical snark.

“Maybe people should stop hurting her then.” When I tried to take the conversation further by asking her what she meant by that, she just sighed her frustration, gathered her things and left me sitting on the porch alone.

Since she’s refusing to leave the house, every morning I’ve made or bought breakfast for her and Liz, and every morning she refuses to eat. She does, however, save the pastries for Hawk.

The fucker.

She’s been hiding in her room when she sees I’m not leaving, avoiding me at all costs. So, I’ve had to be creative in getting her attention.

A couple of the prospects who cover for me when I have a client to meet starting bouncing ideas on how to get Avery out of her mood. One mentioned his bike, and I may have made mention that I’d better not see her ass on the back of anyone else’s bike, especially a prospect’s.

We’re sitting in church, going over the final decisions about tonight’s party. I’ve missed most of the conversation. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything terribly important. I love Sadie, and she deserves to be celebrated, but it’s not fucking rocket science. It’s like second nature. We throw parties all the time.

The only part of the conversation I was interested in was the moment Gabe officially made it perfectly clear Avery is off limits to everyone. I’m assuming the glare he shoots in my direction means he knows I’ve already had my hands on his precious little girl.

She’s off limits.

If only I could get my dick to agree with him. He seems to have laid claim without my consent.

Liar.

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